Ricola Glacier Mint, what Swiss nature has to offer at its best.

Ricola is a Swiss company that became a true ambassador for the country. With more than 5 billion drops produced every year, Ricola sells its iconic bonbons all over the world. 85 years after the foundation of the Swiss company, they still keep going with innovation. This month, they are launching a new variety of drops, Menthe des Glaciers – Glacier’s Mint – Gletscherminze. LuxuryActivist was chosen to test the new drops and it gave us the opportunity to review this amazing success Swiss story.

Ricola, naturally good.

Ricola was founded in 1930 by Emil Wilhelm Richterich. At that time he built up his own business called Confiseriefabrik Richterich & Co. Laufen.

It was in 1967 that the company was named RICOLA, which is the abbreviation of the initial name RIchterich & CO. LAufen. Since then, the small Swiss company became big and now it has 400 people for a total revenue of CHF 300 million (in 2012). The company is now managed by Felix Richterich, son of Hans Peter and grandson of the founder. Today, Ricola exports to over 50 countries in Asia, North America and Europe. The company became a true ambassador for Switzerland all over the world and represents the beauty and the amazing richness of Swiss nature. You can imagine that to produce so many drops every year, Ricola needs the help of many people here in Switzerland. Over 200 independent companies located around Ricola serve the Swiss company at many different levels. In order to being able to get enough plants, all growing in Switzerland, Ricola works with 100 self-managed farms in the following Swiss areas:

Valais

Emmental

Puschlav

South Jura mountains

Central Switzerland

Ticino

In times where we never know exactly what we eat and drink, and after so many food scandals, a company like Ricola can only get your trust as everything is transparent, from the way they work with partners down to the packaging of their products.

All over the world people from different cultures and horizons enjoy the excellent quality and taste of Ricola drops. Celebrities, mainly singers, from all over the world, enjoy Ricola drops and use it as a secret weapon to keep their voice loud and clear. Here are just a few of the well-known stars who suck Ricola drops regularly:

Bruno Mars

Placido Domingo

Cecilia Bartoli

Christina Aguilera

Robbie Williams

Madonna

Justin Timberlake

Mariah Carrey

These singers use Ricola as a way to keep their throats in good shape

Chrüterchraft, the spirit of Ricola

In the last campaign by Ricola, they introduced the idea of Chrüterchraft. It is a brilliant concept. The word means several things. It is a Swiss word that stands for herbs. It reflects the efficiency and the enjoyment of plants by Ricola.

In all Ricola drops, there is a secret blend of 13 plants. Nobody knows exactly which plants and the quantity of each one. The recipe is preciously kept at Ricola and allow to each drops to fulfill the Brand promise. This is what we can fin in Wikipedia about the list of plants.

Elder (Sambucus nigra)

Horehound (Marrubium vulgare)

Mallow (Malva silvestris)

Peppermint (Mentha × piperita)

Sage (Salvia officinalis)

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)

Cowslip (Primula veris)

Burnet (Pimpinella saxifraga)

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Marsh Mallow (Althaea officinalis)

Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris)

Speedwell, aka Veronica (Veronica officinalis)

Plantain (Plantago lanceolata)

In the United States, ten herbs make up the herbal mixture, three of which are not in the above list. These are Linden Flowers (Tilia platyphyllos), Wild Thyme (Thymus serpyllum) and Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis).

In any case, Ricola masters the beautiful art of plants and they produce everything or almost in Switzerland as the Swiss Alps landscapes are rich in plants that grow naturally in the valleys and some of them in altitude. Here is a very nice corporate video that shows how they work.

As we can see, you can only achieve this quality for so long if you have passion for what you do. Nicola has also a lot of humour, which makes it even more exciting. Smile is probably the most important ingredient they use in every day work to make the best drops possible. Here is one of the latest campaign that shows how cool this brand is. Creativity, innovation, strong on its roots and the passion of doing something good for people.

This new year brings a new variety to Ricola collection. It is called Glaciers Mint and as any previous Ricola, it is a hit already.

The New recipe requires the best quality of Mint growing in the green meadows of Switzerland landscape. Ricola brought all its know-how in order to create the best Mint drops ever.

What to say about this new flavor? At LuxuryActivist we were lucky to get a few packs to test, which we did. The first effect we feel in mouth is a refreshing effect of Menthol and Peppermint aroma. It tastes very natural and it immediately fills your throat and your retro-olfactory system. The nose is purified and your breath refreshed. A second effect you fill is the blend of the 13 plants. I can distinctively pick up Sage for example, which is an amazing plant for several purposes. In this new variety, the researchers at Ricola created a beautiful Mint recipe. Mint is such a strong ingredient, that you need to use it wisely otherwise it will not be pleasant. In the Ricola Menthe des Glaciers – Gletscherminze, Ricola selected the best plants growing in the pure Glacial Moraines in Switzerland.

We shared the new Ricola with some people around us (basically friends and people at the office) and asked them to give us their impressions. We also have the opinion of LuxuryActivist Chief editor. They were all positively impressed by the quality of the recipe and they really appreciated it was Sugar-free. While the Sugar-free trend has only started in the last 10 years driving sales, Ricola has been investing their research time into Sugar-free products since the 70’s. Here are some comments we could gather about the new Ricola Gletscherminze.

If you wish to learn more about the amazing world of Ricola, do not hesitate to connect to the brand official website here: http://www.ricola.com

No matter if you are a super star Opera singer, or just someone trying to keep your throat away from the traps of winter, Ricola is the perfect brand for you. Every Ricola drops is made with all the ingenuity of Swiss know-how. The quality and the excellence at work that Ricola has, is completely reflected into their products and each one of the 5 billion drops produced every year brings you the same promise: the best of Swiss nature in a single bonbon. Well done Ricola.

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